Your Adjective Here: “Sort-of-Stale?,” “Pre-Tired?,” “Slightly Dated?” A picture is famously worth 1,000 words. But, so is the right diagram. The one above (“Stale < ??? > Fresh”) perfectly captures my reaction to the two-story, 6,500 square foot home that I just previewed in Edina’s ritzy Parkwood Knolls neighborhood. Listed for $1.85 million, it features...Read More
(At Least, a Couple Afternoons a Week) To Realtors, a “Grandma’s house” is a (very) dated home, albeit one that is spotless and meticulously maintained. So, what’s the other kind? This kind: “Grandma babysits their kids in the home, so 1 hour notice is needed, 2 hours preferred.” That showing instruction popped up doing a...Read More
New Oven: $500. New Wall: $3,000 One of the stealth issues for prospective home Buyers is the old-but-still functioning wall oven — often times, two of them. The risk, which rises with the oven’s age: that the model has been discontinued, and there’s not a same-size replacement. When that’s the case, the fix isn’t just a new...Read More
Killing Three Birds With One Stone What do you do with a dated, functionally obsolete* 1950’s rambler a stone’s throw from increasingly swanky Cedar Lake? In the case of 2425 France Avenue South in St. Louis Park, pop the roof and add a second story. Such an addition, done well, accomplishes three things: One. Cashes...Read More
“Nobody Ever Washed a Rental Car” — Home Inspection Edition Normally, the condition of such things as TV satellite dishes, security systems, and water softeners is very important to home Buyers doing their inspection. After all, if they don’t work, post-closing, it’s the Buyer-now-Owner who’s on the hook.* So, what is the one exception to that? When...Read More
Stuck in the Middle: the Plight of the “Near Tear-Down” While Twin Cites developers — and their clients — are once again on the prowl for tear-downs, unfortunately for would-be Sellers of such homes, not everything qualifies. In particular, a great many homes fall into a broad gray area, where they’re too expensive for many...Read More
